more cash into constructing an elite wing of the
presidential clinic in Abuja where only a few big
and mighty will receive attention, a spending
that dwarfs the total funds allocated by
government for entire developmental projects
of two federal university teaching hospitals.
Under the proposed 2014 budget laid to the
National Assembly last December, the
"Construction of a VIP Wing at the State House
Clinic will cost N705 million."
That amount surpasses the government's
budgeted cost for the building of new wards
(buildings), laboratories and all other
developmental projects in two university
teaching hospitals.
For instance, the University of Ilorin Teaching
Hospital and the University of Benin Teaching
Hospital, have been allocated a total of N662
million for capital expenditure this year.
The two medical facilities are only part of a
long list of teaching hospitals which have their
capital spending this year outdone by the VIP
budget, tagged in the budget as SHMC- State
House Medical Clinic.
Among 17 tertiary hospitals in the nation
compared with the State House clinic,
University of Ilorin's allocation of N310 million
will be the least if the National Assembly
approves the budget as submitted.
Other similar hospitals receive a little above
N310 million, and some up to N550 million.
The only teaching hospitals with capital
budgets exceeding the spending for the Aso
Rock elite facility are Nnamdi Azikiwe
University, Awka, with N727 million; and the
University of Nigeria, Nsukka, with N1.9 billion.
The skewed allocations are only the latest
revelation from Nigeria's scandalous national
budget, tainted for years by spending plans
that provide more funding for services
available to a few powerful public officials,
from the president and his ministers to federal
lawmakers, while relatively little go to those
that should benefit the public.
Analysts have for years criticized the
allocations and have struggled to draw
government's attention for serious corrections.
"A country like Nigeria with its negative
developmental indices cannot fritter away
resources that are best conserved for national
development," said Ikeazor Akaraiwe of The
Rule of Law Collective, a Nigerian civic
platform which first raised concerns with the
presidential medical spending.
In a statement to the media on Monday, the
group described the 2014 budget before the
National Assembly as the worst ever proposed
in the nation's history, and laid the
responsibility on the finance minister, Ngozi
Okonjo-Iweala.
"It is an affront to the sensibilities of the
teeming poor in our country when a budget
that smacks of profligacy and utter waste is
tabled before the National Assembly to be
passed into law in their name," the group said.
"This budget and the 1,820 pages in which it
was written, in all likelihood, will go down in
history as one of the worst budgets ever
proposed. It represents a complete detachment
from reality. It is a shame that this budget
proposal was tabled under the watch of Dr
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. So much more was
expected of her and it is disappointing that she
has let this budget proposal proceed under her
hand. The ultimate responsibility, though, must
lie with President Goodluck Jonathan."
The group also raised concerns with what it
reflected as the lopsided allocation on military
spending versus spending on the rehabilitation
of ex-militants. Read their full statement here.
On Monday, in a rare admission of that
possibility, the Director General, Budget Office
of the Federation, Bright Okogu, acknowledged
there were multiple errors in the new budget,
but said they were "glitches" caused by the use
of the Government Integrated Financial and
Management Information System, GIFMIS, a
new budgeting tool.
He referred to the allocation of millions of naira
to non-existent projects like the huge sums
allocated to the Mathematical Centre, Sheda,
Investment and Securities Tribunal and other
agencies for fuelling and maintenance of
aircraft, boats and railway equipment.
Those agencies however own no aircraft, boats
or even railway equipment.
"What happened was that GIFMIS, being a new
system, had some glitches that reflected in
some of the provisions. It is not totally
strange," Mr. Okogu said at the presentation of
the budget details on Monday, by Mrs. Okonjo-
Iweala. "Many of you have read about the
Obamacare and the challenges they had in
actually implementing it. It is a big system,
bigger than ours, but with the same features.
The State House Clinic, pointed out by the Rule
of Law Collective, is not open to the public.
Currently, only staff of the State House are
allowed services.
But the planned wing is expected to be used to
provide exclusive services to the president and
his vice, and senior government leaders visiting
the presidential villa.
The N705 million allocated for the VIP wing of
the hospital will not be the first, as the same
construction had earlier received N300 million
in 2012-totaling N1billion for just that unit.
Meanwhile, upgrades, repairs and construction
in the entire hospital cost at least N506 million
in 2011, N401 million in 2012, and over N300
million in 2013.
Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone provided by Airtel Nigeria.
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